For my faithful readers out there, you might remember 2013 Kim was not a huge fan of Ramadan. In my defense, I was hungry. Last year I had a certain expectation: to be fed. Sure, I was fed, but one small bowl of white rice and maggi at 10 am split between me and 5 children isn't going to tide me over all day.
This year I had no such delusions. While, I didn't go as far as purchasing that gas stove that would be so useful, I have been eating. Aside from the bread I can buy in village every day, and the fruit I can get in Kolda, my beautiful, wonderful, generous mother sent me an amazing care package that has gotten me through this week and I am trying to make last another 2 weeks. It's not that the amount of food in the package is insufficient, it's just that I get very bored sitting around waiting for people to want to move again that my stomach inevitably fakes a rumble and gives me an excuse to munch on those white cheddar Cheese-Its I love so much.
But what's an average Ramadan day? As per usual, I leave my hut at 8:00am on the dot. I wait around to see if I'll be served breakfast. Sometimes they've already eaten, sometimes there's no leftover rice, and always I have to guess. I don't love eating rice for breakfast to begin with, so for the past couple days I've just been eating in my room. A baguette from the day before and some honey, maybe an apple and a granola bar, breakfast changes. Then, inevitably, once I'm done Ramatou will barge into my room with a big bowl of rice and 4 kids trailing behind her, triumphantly announcing breakfast, and I have to stomach a spoonful or two of rice for politeness sake.
Once breakfast is eaten I'll try and do some socializing. "Try" being the key word. What actually happens is I wander semi-aimlessly around my village looking for people to talk to. I've been semi-successful. Everyone's tired, even in the morning, and don't talk much and automatically gravitate to a place they can lie down. When this happens I go home and try and con Soso and Oumou into hanging out with me, and this always turns into Oumou making my hold Aissatou while she does something. I wouldn't mind this as much if she peed on my less. Once relieved of Aissatou, I seek shelter in my room. I'll read, listen to a podcast, and at some point make myself a beautiful lunch (yesterday I ate 5 chocolate chip cookies and I cup of powdered milk. Score.).
So yes, I'm eating. But there's something missing again this year: people. I miss my friends, I miss conversations not formed around fasting (and my lack thereof), I miss working, and I miss drinking tea. T-minus 2 weeks until I get my village back! In the meantime, book recommendations are welcome.
Jam tan,
Kim
How many of you who are going to be doctors are willing to spend your days in Ghana? Technicians or engineers, how any of you are willing to work in the Foreign Service and spend your lives traveling around the world? On your willingness to do that, not merely to serve one year or two years in the service, but on your willingness to contribute part of your life o this country, I think will depend the answer whether a free society can complete. I think it can! And I think Americans are willing to contribute. But the effort must be far greater than we have ever made in the past.
-John F. Kennedy
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